After leaving the Sanitation Bureau, Li Ye rode his little electric scooter to the bank to withdraw the money, then began looking for a restaurant.
Although Ningjiang City was only a third-tier small city, it was surrounded by mountains and water, making it quite rich in ingredients. Good ingredients often turned up there.
For example, Li Ye went to a restaurant that counted as a mid-to-high-end establishment in Ningjiang City, famous for its pork dishes.
He ordered two portions of sixty-eight-yuan braised pork, two plates of vegetables, two bowls of rice, and two 1,280-yuan Jade Marrow Black Fur Pig meals.
The former came from ordinary pigs. The latter did not. They had merit. They were pigs that had become demons, pigs selected with the utmost care.
This ingredient was actually farm-raised domestic pork that had a chance of transforming into a demon, so it was considered benign.
The most valuable part was the marrow inside its bones. The meat itself was relatively affordable.
Ordinary people could strengthen their immune systems by eating the meat. It sold for over three hundred yuan per jin on the market, sometimes rising to four or five hundred.
It was not that Li Ye had never considered eating at an all-you-can-eat buffet. In fact, his first reaction upon obtaining his Authority had been to eat at buffets, using the least money to stir up the greatest amount of blood and qi.
The problem was that this world did not have many buffet restaurants.
Perhaps martial artists' appetites made merchants think the business would not be worthwhile. There were shops for every conceivable trade, except inexpensive buffet restaurants.
The buffets Li Ye knew of were all prohibitively expensive, so he could only calculate every penny carefully.
Once the dishes arrived, Li Ye first used ordinary chopsticks to eat half of them, feeling the rise in his blood and qi.
A bowl of rice weighing a full half-jin only increased his blood and qi by 0.001. A plate of vegetables provided the same amount, while nearly half a jin of braised pork added 0.005.
The same half-jin portion of Jade Marrow Black Fur Pig was expensive, yet it disappointed Li Ye greatly.
It did taste excellent. Its unique cooking method made Li Ye eat with great satisfaction, but his blood and qi only rose by 0.008.
His lunch contained nearly the equivalent of three jin of Ironclad Boar meat. Comparatively speaking, one jin of Jade Marrow Black Fur Pig meat only increased his blood and qi a tiny bit more than one jin of Ironclad Boar meat.
Its value for money was terrible. Even if he bought it and cooked it himself, it would still be worse than eating a few more bowls of beef noodles.
It was useless apart from its flavor, and this was not the time for Li Ye to indulge himself.
After finishing with the ordinary chopsticks, he took out the Magic Treasure, the Five Flavors Chopsticks, and used those special chopsticks to eat.
The results satisfied him immensely.
First came the flavor. Food that entered his mouth through those chopsticks developed richer layers of taste. Even ordinary stir-fried vegetables tasted like rare delicacies, and even plain white rice was much more fragrant than before.
He would not grow tired even if he ate nothing but rice.
As for that most expensive Jade Marrow Black Fur Pig, eating it with the Five Flavors Chopsticks nearly made Li Ye burst out of his clothes.
Its increase to his blood and qi was three times greater!
"Check, please!"
After finishing this meal worth over two thousand yuan, Li Ye formed a plan.
From the beef noodles and buns that morning, to the school lunch at noon, and now this "grand meal," he had found the most cost-effective way to increase his blood and qi.
Eat rice!
"One jin of rice can cook into two and a half jin, which means an increase of 0.005 in blood and qi. With the Five Flavors Chopsticks, that becomes 0.015—comparable to one jin of Ironclad Boar meat."
Li Ye calculated silently, "At most 1,400 jin, and I'll be able to Break Through Dragon Gate!"
Rice sold for five yuan per jin. Buying in larger quantities would make it even cheaper. Next, he just needed to buy some durable rice cookers.
They did not need to be expensive. He only needed to buy twenty 150-yuan rice cookers capable of cooking two jin of rice each.
They could cook a batch in half an hour. In one hour, each could make four jin. Twenty cookers meant eighty jin.
He could cook and eat at the same time. It would take only a dozen or so hours to finish 1,400 jin of rice.
Around seven thousand yuan, one day's time, and he could Break Through Dragon Gate!
With a Training Method added in, it might take even less time.
The only requirement was finding a spacious enough place for him to carry out all of this.
As for relieving himself...
How could an Authority be something so inconvenient?
His bodily structure was still that of an ordinary person, with ordinary functions. Eating through the Authority was like having a stomach that only absorbed and never expelled, while his real stomach would still digest things as usual.
With his rice plan tucked away in his heart, Li Ye rode all the way home.
His parents both came home late that day. One was probably busy, while the other worked the night shift. They had prepared the food at noon, so Li Ye only had to heat it up when he returned.
The dishes had not changed much. Along with the daily indispensable Dragon Blood Stewed Mountain Ginseng and Deer Tendon, Li Ye ate everything clean.
The blood and qi in that soup was not much different from one jin of Ironclad Boar meat. Under the effects of the Five Flavors Chopsticks, it likewise increased threefold.
After eating his fill, Li Ye began the Guiding Method. An hour later, he continued practicing Flicking Legs, reinforcing the blood and qi he had consumed.
By the time he finished training, his parents had returned as well. After chatting briefly, Li Ye washed up and went to bed.
For the time being, he did not intend to tell them about the Five Flavors Chopsticks.
He still understood the principle that a common man possessed no crime, but his jade would invite trouble. The price alone was enough to make an ordinary family anxious; telling them now would only create worry.
The next day, he went to school as usual. Guo Chuming's matter did not cause the slightest ripple, as if it had never happened. Classes, training, and eating continued just as before.
On the third day, after Yan Menglu nagged them a few more times to study hard, the final school bell rang, and their summer vacation officially began.
"Brother Ye! See you in senior year!"
At the school gates, Deng Hao spoke solemnly to Li Ye as though he were heading to his death, then strode away with his head held high.
Jia Dong sighed beside him and said to Li Ye, "I asked around. That master came from a Key Martial Arts University. He's especially experienced, but it's going to be brutal."
Key Martial Arts Universities were important martial arts universities.
Just like liberal arts universities, Divine Land's Martial Arts Universities were divided into three tiers: ordinary, key, and top-tier.
Only those who reached the Fourth Dragon Gate in high school qualified to apply for a Key Martial Arts University.
It was easy to foresee that, relying on expensive ingredients and the training of a "famous master," they would force their blood and qi upward in two months. The suffering involved would be far worse than practicing in a martial arts school.
Paying money to suffer was something only Preparatory Students could do.
"I'll go too, Brother Ye."
Jia Dong pursed his lips and considered his words. "To be honest, you're the person I admire most. You're the clearest-headed person in the preparatory class. A lot of the time, I look to you as my standard. Now you're confident, Deng Hao is going all out, and there's no reason I shouldn't join you, so..."
"We'll still be in the same class in senior year, right?"
Hearing that, a smile touched Li Ye's lips. "Of course. I guarantee it."
"Alright! See you in senior year!"
Jia Dong grinned, baring his teeth. "I'm off to suffer too!"
For young people, friendship was important too.
Li Ye smiled, then rode off on his electric scooter as well.
After three days, his plan was more or less ready. All that remained was to put it into action.
A location was easy to find. Going forty or fifty li east led to suburban villages and towns, where there were many vacant single-story houses. None were rented by the day, but monthly rentals were available, and they were cheap.
Whether the place was good or not did not matter. As long as it had water, electricity, and enough space, that was enough.
He had also found a rice supplier. Because he wanted a large quantity, he got the wholesale price of three yuan.
He had chosen the rice cookers online too, merely waiting to place the order.
He only had to begin tomorrow.
His parents returned early that day. By the time Li Ye got home, they were already waiting for him.
While eating as usual, Li Ye looked at the bowl of Dragon Blood Stewed Mountain Ginseng and Deer Tendon that had been served as always and shook his head helplessly.
On the night he got the Five Flavors Chopsticks, he had already told them that he felt he was about to break through and asked them not to prepare those things anymore.
But his parents simply would not listen. They still made him a bowl of soup every day.
Still, it did not matter. Once he put the facts before them, that would be more convincing than anything he could say.
"Xiaoye, there's something we need to tell you."
Halfway through the meal, Li Haihua set down his chopsticks. "We found you a master."
Li Ye paused in the middle of eating and asked in surprise, "A master? Dad, didn't I say I'm confident I can break through?"
Liu Qingxia sighed softly. "Xiaoye, we know what you're thinking, but we truly cannot agree to give up at a time like this. Just try it once."
Li Haihua nodded. "That's right. No matter what, give it one summer. If it truly doesn't work, we won't stop you from switching to liberal arts."
He had withdrawn from the martial arts school, intended to switch to liberal arts, and then told them he was going to break through?
They saw through that little trick at a glance.
They merely took Li Ye's words as a delaying tactic.
Li Ye: "..."
"Where would our family get the money?"
He understood what his parents were thinking, but he was deeply puzzled.
Their family already owed two hundred thousand yuan outside.
The remaining money barely covered daily life. After all, they had him, a money-devouring beast whose fixed monthly food expenses alone ran to seven or eight thousand yuan. At this stage, they could not possibly have money to hire a master.
For specialists who helped people make a sudden blood-and-qi surge to break through, even the hiring fee alone was astronomically expensive. It was not something an ordinary family like his could consider.
"You don't need to worry about that."
Li Haihua smiled. "This master was originally from Yang City. I heard he helped many people step through the Dragon Gate. As long as the conditions are sufficient, it can be done. Your grade is 'Excellent.' After evaluating you, the master decided to teach you and guarantees that you'll enter the Dragon Gate!"
"That's right, and it's high-tech martial arts. It's different from the martial arts training currently on the market."
Liu Qingxia placed a piece of meat in Li Ye's bowl. "They're also here in Ningjiang to open up the market. We happened to see them, and after looking into it, we decided to sign you up."
Li Ye said helplessly, "What high-tech martial arts? There are no shortcuts in martial arts."
"There are plenty of successful cases over there, and it doesn't all rely on technology. You still have to train. It's some combination of martial arts and technology that makes martial arts training more scientific," Liu Qingxia argued.
Li Ye pursed his lips but did not respond. He only asked, "How much did it cost?"
"Only three hundred thousand."
Li Haihua said, "There's a contract. As long as your physical assessment grade is 'Excellent,' they guarantee they'll let you Break Through Dragon Gate. If you don't, they'll refund the full amount. And there are no food costs either. They provide everything there."
All-inclusive, three hundred thousand to Break Through Dragon Gate? And a full refund if he did not?
Were they running a charity?
"I understand."
Li Ye lowered his head and ate. "I'll go tomorrow."
Trying to persuade his parents was completely useless. His parents were the most ordinary of ordinary people. If they truly had the knowledge, they would not believe in something so mysterious.
He knew about high-tech martial arts. It was popular in the West, but it had no market in Divine Land.
Every so-called high-tech martial arts program on Divine Land's market was, without exception, a scam designed to fleece people.
Tomorrow, he would simply go get the money back, then proceed to Break Through Dragon Gate.
On the first day of summer vacation, at six in the morning, Li Ye got up early, called a car, and headed straight for the suburban location he had chosen.
The place he rented was basically no different from the countryside. People had either moved into the city or gone elsewhere to work, leaving many houses vacant.
The house he chose was an abandoned building far from the town. Someone from a nearby town had built it long ago, but had now moved into the city as well.
There was nothing inside but a dust-covered table and a bed board. The owner asked for six hundred yuan a month. Li Ye could not even be bothered to bargain, readily paid the money, and got the key.
With the address in hand, he ordered the rice cookers online, contacted the rice seller, settled everything, and then took a taxi to the address of the "master" his parents had given him.
That address lay almost across the entirety of Ningjiang. Their home was in the eastern district, while this address was in the northern district, also in the suburbs. It sat beside the national highway near Dragon Mountain to the north, with suburban farmland directly opposite.
The place Li Ye arrived at was a large three-story villa with a front courtyard. It was decorated rather nicely.
This did not surprise him. Businesses of this kind would certainly put on a convincing outward show.
The main gate stood open. Li Ye knocked on the open door to announce his arrival.
"Welcome, welcome!"
A smiling middle-aged man dressed in a traditional Tang suit quickly came up from the basement stairs.
Li Ye was slightly startled when he saw him.
This man walked with steady steps. He looked thin, yet he moved with strength. The sway of his arms clearly carried coiled force.
He gave Li Ye a feeling similar to the martial arts instructors at the martial arts school, the school's martial arts teachers, and his homeroom teacher Yan Menglu.
This fellow was not merely a martial artist. He was also a martial artist who had broken through the Dragon Gate.
"You're Li Ye? Among the students recruited this time, you're the first to sign up."
The middle-aged man chuckled. "My name is Tang Shengchun. Just call me Coach Tang. No need for too much small talk. You're here to train, so follow me down to the basement."
As he spoke, he beckoned and went back down the stairs. Li Ye could only follow him inside.
The basement was obviously much larger than the upper floor and filled with modern training equipment. Along the wall, however, Li Ye saw a row of transparent cylindrical containers that resembled medical pods.
"We're scientific martial arts, combining high technology with training. We specialize in helping people make sudden surges in blood and qi to break through the Dragon Gate. This training method is mainstream in the West."
Coach Tang smiled. "Of course, you need a good foundation too, which is why we only recruit Preparatory Students who achieved 'Excellent' in their school physical assessments. Your parents told me your grades were good, but we still need to test you."
He pointed at the training equipment. "Just three things: strength, punching force, and speed. Let's test those first."
Li Ye frowned slightly upon hearing that.
The testing machines were very standard, but they were also the most useless kind.
Because these things were too standardized, while blood and qi had never been something standardized.
The results of all three tests changed according to each person's weight. Although they could be linked to blood-and-qi strength, they were actually no different from the physical assessments at his school.
This testing method was indeed popular in the West, but in Divine Land, it did not count for anything—especially for those who had learned Training Methods at martial arts schools.
This was also one reason high-tech martial arts could not succeed in Divine Land.
"Fine."
Li Ye wanted to see what tricks this guy was playing.
He clapped his hands, walked over to the barbells first, tested the weight of several, chose one that suited him best, then gripped it with both hands. He sank his qi and squatted down before explosively lifting it overhead.
"Three-hundred-jin weightlifting."
Coach Tang nodded. "Your strength is on the low side. Next, punching force."
Li Ye set down the barbell and walked to the punching machine. He assumed a horse stance, drew his fist back to his waist, and threw a straight punch into the machine with a bang.
The number above it jumped to 350.
"Seven hundred jin of force. Moderate," Coach Tang said.
Li Ye shifted into a bow stance, drew a sharp breath, exerted force from his waist, and scraped his left foot against the floor with a piercing sound. As he twisted, his right foot stabbed viciously into the punching machine like a straight sword.
Door-Kicking Nail!
BANG!!
The number jumped to 1,000!
"2,000 jin of force—excellent!"
Tang Shengchun smiled and nodded. "Next, we'll test your speed."
Li Ye stepped onto a special treadmill. The moment his feet touched down, his thighs exerted force, and he broke into a rapid run.
Only when the display showed "9.96" did Li Ye grab the handrails on both sides, using the momentum to leap down to the floor.
"9.96 seconds for a hundred meters—excellent. And you have excellent jumping power as well."
Tang Shengchun gave a light round of applause. "Mm, your overall physical quality is Level 8. Western physical tests use Level 10 as the standard; anything above Level 7 is excellent. You passed."
"And then?" Li Ye asked.
"Our scientific training first pushes your physical strength to its limits, then uses scientific nutritional supplements and equipment to complete the process. So, use the equipment here and train with me until you're utterly exhausted."
Tang Shengchun held out a hand. "Or spar with me."
"Spar with you?" Li Ye looked over.
"Don't worry. I'm at Three Dragon Gate. You won't get hurt."
Tang Shengchun chuckled, assuming a boxing stance and taking quick, mincing steps.
From the look of it, this wasn't a Divine Land training method either. It was from the West as well.
Li Ye thought for a moment and took his stance. "Then I'll attack first!"
Whoosh!
The instant the words left his mouth, he darted forward. His legs moved like the wind as he opened with a whip kick.
Tang Shengchun merely shifted back. One hand formed a palm and slapped down Li Ye's leg, blocking the attack.
"Yes, just like that. Keep attacking. Go all out and let your physical strength run wild."
Li Ye clicked his tongue. His knocked-down leg jabbed downward, then shot upward, striking toward Tang Shengchun's knee, abdomen, and chest—but every blow was slapped aside.
It wasn't a difference in technique, but purely a matter of reaction speed.
Li Ye might not have had much talent in martial arts, but he had studied it extensively.
After that string of attacks, he spotted the clues. Judging from the techniques Tang Shengchun displayed, they were inferior to those of Divine Land.
His rapid switch from a front kick to a side thrust kick had actually struck Tang Shengchun's waist and ribs, but the Three Dragon Gate Realm had swiftly evaded and suppressed it.
The other man launched attacks as well. A straight punch was just a straight punch; any last-minute changes were merely a matter of reaction speed. Though Tang Shengchun was holding back, Li Ye could still see it.
This style of fighting was a direct display of strength. It lacked their finesse.
If Li Ye and Tang Shengchun were at the same realm, he would definitely win.
But against Three Dragon Gate, it was simply a pure suppression of reaction speed.
They fought continuously for two hours. Only when Li Ye began to pant heavily and his body involuntarily bent lower did Tang Shengchun stop.
"Mm, very good. Wait here."
He went up the stairs and vanished from the basement.
Before long, Tang Shengchun came back down, carrying a bowl of pitch-black liquid and handing it to Li Ye.
"This is the core of scientific martial arts—the newly developed Western basic Nutrient Solution."
Tang Shengchun said, "You're the first student I've recruited since coming to Ningjiang City. When you break through Dragon Gate, you can help promote me. After all, no matter how good the method is, it won't work without publicity."
Li Ye stared at the black liquid in his hands, frowning. This thing did not give him a good feeling.
But he knew such things existed on the market. Liquids were the easiest to absorb, after all, though every one of them was expensive—more expensive than ingredients.
Three hundred thousand, all-inclusive?
Why did he feel like he was a test subject for drugs?
Still, if it was only this, Li Ye did not mind.
His authority could turn any food that had been "cooked" into qi and blood. Disease, pests—even food sprayed with poison would not harm him if he ate it.
Even without any seasoning, a piece of diseased meat smeared with poison could still count as cooked food.
Likewise, anything that had been processed had undergone a step of cooking, so it was fine.
Other than eating something completely raw, nothing was a problem for him. Even cutting it once with a knife would do—he could treat it as raw sashimi.
Li Ye raised the large bowl, tipped back his head, and gulped it down.
The liquid was mushy on his tongue, with a grainy texture, like bubble tea with pearls that had no flavor at all.
But the instant it went down, his movements stiffened, and the arm holding the bowl visibly trembled.
"What is it? Does it taste bad? Nutrient Solution is just like this. You only need to gulp it down in one go."
Tang Shengchun's voice sounded beside Li Ye's ear, smoothing out his frozen movements as he swiftly drained the bowl.
Qi and blood value: 81.1!
Over the past few days, he had used the Five Flavors Chopsticks for his meals at school. Together with his usual training and eating, his qi and blood had stabilized at 81 by the time he came here.
One bowl had raised it by 0.1!
This was the largest increase he had ever encountered.
He handed the empty bowl to Tang Shengchun and praised, "Indeed, I can feel my qi and blood surging. This is extremely effective!"
"This is the power of technology."
Tang Shengchun smiled in satisfaction. "We'll rest for an hour. Once your strength recovers, we'll continue training. It won't even take one summer vacation—I guarantee you'll break through Dragon Gate. Go upstairs now. There's a lounge up there. Use it as you please."
After that, he walked up the stairs. Watching his back, Li Ye's expression instantly darkened.
His qi and blood had increased, but there was something wrong with the stuff.
A huge problem!
This bowl of black sludge was made by crushing together liquid from moldy grains and mature Filth Worm black threadworms.
That was right—the Filth Worm Li Ye had mistaken before. He could taste it now!
And those granules he could feel in the texture—
Were locust eggs showing signs of becoming demons!
No wonder his qi and blood had risen so much. Just like the Ironclad Boar, he was eating demons—except this time, he was eating harmful demons!
The instant the eggs entered his stomach, they were refined by his authority. Yet the faint sensation also made him understand that without his authority, the eggs would use his stomach for absorption before spreading throughout his entire body.
Even without his authority, this thing would still be effective. It could affect the human body and raise one's qi and blood, but at the same time, it would allow the eggs to build a nest.
Under the eggs' influence, one's qi and blood would mutate. The moment one stepped into Dragon Gate, one would probably become a complete nest for the eggs.
"Using the human body as an ovary to produce locusts..."
Li Ye clenched his teeth. "A Locust-Human Nest, and a Dragon Gate Realm Locust-Human Nest at that! What is he trying to do?"
He was not a swindler, nor was he testing drugs as Li Ye had suspected.
He was something even stranger—a terrorist spreading harm!
A heavy blow was necessary!
Li Ye took out his phone.
Before you continue